The Russian company “Gazprom” has reduced natural gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova by 56.5% since December 1, accusing that only part of the volume of gas it supplies to this country through pipelines passing through Ukraine actually reaches the Republic of Moldova. , reports the publication. Tuesday Agerpres with reference to the press from beyond the Prut.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Chisinau, Konstantin Borosan, reported on Facebook that Gazprom reserved solid transport capacities of the Ukrainian gas pipeline operator for connection points with the Republic of Moldova only for the volume of 5.7 million meters. cubic per day for the period October 2022 – September 2023.

Thus, from December 1, deliveries of Russian gas to the Republic of Moldova will decrease by 56.5% compared to the volume stipulated in the contract that the company “Moldovagaz” concluded with “Gazprom”, the quoted official said.

At the beginning of October, Gazprom announced a reduction in gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova, namely by only 5.7 million cubic meters per month, motivating this reduction by disputes with Chisinau regarding gas payments and the refusal of the Ukrainian pipeline operator to offer a “service integral” for transportation these gases.

According to the Accounting Chamber of the Republic of Moldova, this country has accumulated a debt to Gazprom in the amount of 590.8 million dollars.

The excuse used by Gazprom to reduce gas supplies

In a statement released on Tuesday, Gazprom accused Ukraine of storing certain volumes of natural gas intended for the Republic of Moldova. According to the Russian supplier, the volume of natural gas destined for the Republic of Moldova and arriving in Ukraine significantly exceeds that which is ultimately transported to Moldovan consumers, reports Deschide.md.

“We are now clarifying all these aspects. We do not understand what is the fault of the transporter from Ukraine. This is an aspect related to connection points through which natural gas is transported,” State Secretary Kostyantyn Borosan responded, reports the same source.

In early October, Gazprom cut gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova by 30%, citing “technical reasons.” Late last month, President Maia Sandu sounded the alarm, warning that the country was facing the worst energy crisis in its history.

The decision announced by Gazprom on Tuesday came just a day after several European countries announced new financial aid to the Republic of Moldova. Moldova will cope with the energy crisis and other consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Only Germany and France have announced that they will provide the Chisinau government with support in the amount of 32.3 million and 100 million euros, respectively.